inkedspell | [IC] Inbox for deercountry

[ So, this month is a ride when it's coming to people's privacy.

As in, there isn't any, though Robby was warned about that. Memories shared inside books, personal moments sent over the omnis. It's different, from being told to experiencing it, and the supposed ease these experiences provide are brief at best. How are you meant to operate smoothly afterwards, with another's life and emotions still kicking around in your head, your heart?

Robby doesn't say anything to Saeri to begin with. He comes for his regular lessons, helping, learning of runecraft. He's brought some paleblood this time, infused with the effects of paranoia this month--maybe they can fuck with the amounts to make a useful ink that will increase a paleblood's natural ability of future-seeing: basically, making one more alert to their surroundings, quicker reflexes (before falling into panic).

The right dilution, the right words. The right timing, but Robby doesn't know when that will be beyond a lull in their work, which he goes for with some reservation. ]

So... if I saw one of your memories, would you want me to tell you about it?

[ Because if she wants him to keep that shit to himself, he will. ]

[The fact he brought samples makes Saeri feels this weird sort of pride. Because he's picking up things pretty quickly and coming up with ideas and hypotheticals and she had forgotten how much she enjoyed having someone to tutor. It really scratches that itch inside of her. And she really needs it right now, considering as time goes she's becoming more and more restless. She can't settle down, she needs more to do, more to keep her mind and hands busy. Robby helps with that.

And since her blood magic isn't on the fritz like last month, nothing has threatened to explode yet. Mixing the paleblood with darkblood could help with with the faster reflexes and hyper-vigilance--except maybe they shouldn't be using hers, considering it's imbued with a near manic hyperactivity that she hasn't even noticed because this happens to her often enough anyway. Whoops.

She's carefully stirring in some of her personal ink, with the paleblood, watching as it shifts to a more creamy color--when he asks that and she freezes. For just a moment. It could be noticeable, but she's back to loose and casual as quick as can be. She shrugs.]

...It would be nice to know. People knowing things about you that you didn't tell them is kind of fucked, but Trench doesn't give us much of a choice.

[ Robby hasn't been noticing his own blood's problems, allowing Saeri to have some without any side effects mentioned -- because it's difficult to share you're seeing things when everything seems so very real and normal, compared to how Trench usually is.

What effect does that have on ink? Hope nobody finds out disastrously. Unlike darkblood, which is its own list of possibilities. And Robby likes possibilities, going through words, thinking about implementation. Notebook out, possible words, but his eyes are on Saeri with the offer, the pause noticed. Nothing to call out, because who wouldn't react to that?

So the hum like a chuckle is soft from his throat, agreeable. ]

Yeah, I hear it happens every other month. [ An exaggeration--or is it. But the joking dies with that as he shares, awkwardly: ] I don't know if you remember it; you were seven, it was your birthday. Your brother-- [ was an utter ass ] --pushed your cake in your face.

[ Like an absolute ass, he (still) wants to say, but holds his tongue. Searches for what he can say instead, and lands weakly on: ]

I don't think it got any better from there.

[ Better than what most people face as they get older, but still. Everything he felt in that memory - that dulled emotion telling him to keep it in, feel nothing - sticks to him, bothers him.

A lot. ]

[She's been lucky until now, as far as she knew. No one had mentioned they had seen anything from her life. Maybe she'd been led into a false sense of security by it.]

Oh. That. Yeah he dumped the whole thing on me. Never did get all the stains out of that dress. Alodia made me burn it.

[Not going to discuss how Alodia refused to allow Ms Halli to clean it and made her do it since it was "her mess."]

Wynnie's a piece of shit, but I was fine. No worries.

[ He'd argue about her being okay, but it's a rather pointless argument. That was then, this is now, and people deal with shit as they please.

Rather: ] Never would've imagined you coming from a fancy house, [ he decides to say instead, ask: ] How long'd it take you to get out?

[ Because it wasn't Saeri's style at all, and good on her for getting out. ]

I was twelve when I finally escaped that mausoleum. It was like living in the least interesting museum ever. Ugh.

[Her lip curls up a bit at just how disgusted she is to remember it.]

Living at the Forge compound was way better. At least all their ancient artifacts were for touching and learning from instead of being behind three-inch thick glass so no one could "sully it by a breath."

God, rich people, right? [ Such rich people shit. ] They like to own everything and make a show about it. Stuff like that deserves to get rehomed.

[ The nice way of saying stolen. ]

If they even had anything worth it. We talking paintings, pottery -- first edition books they'll never read?

Oh they had hundreds of books that were probably priceless. Ancient texts, forbidden artifacts, historical records dating back to the founding of the family, records of the Mystlands...

[She sighed for a moment.]

It's a good thing I read most of that shit before I left because it was so good. Sucked I had to leave it all behind but that was worth it.

'Least someone got to read them at all. And it got to be you. [ Hey, the one upside, and he grins as he adds: ] Bet it helped make you the giant nerd you are today. Teacher.

[ Respectfully calling your teacher a nerd because you can, xoxo. ]

Teacher? [She snorts there, giving him a gentle shove of the shoulder.] That makes you a teacher's pet, kiss up.

Now did you notice the difference between the earthquake and lava rune-chains?

[One of them has a modified fire rune and the other has a rune for lightning.]

Naaaaahhhhh, [ he drags out at kiss up, pushing out his arms from where they've been resting against table. He then laughs, moves back in again to check out the runes. And oh, this is easy, tapping a finger beside them. ]

Different elements. [ He can tell that. The real question is if he's got them the right way round: ] Uh, an electrical discharge for mimicking the vibrations of an earthquake, a fire because--fire is really hot?

[ Very wow smart-sounding explanation? ]

[Saeri nods, tapping at the earthquake rune.]

Got this one. The lava-rune is because lava is just overheated rock. It melts earth to turn it into lava. And both of these are elemental combo runes. There's other kinds that have been developed over the centuries, but these two are some of the earliest. Nice and simple for beginners.

Huh. [ Making earthquakes or lava might be cool in general, but Robby nods at them. ] But what do you use them for? Extreme landscaping?

[ What's the practical uses? ]

Yeah. Terraforming can be really important for managing areas that were hit by natural disasters and need complete reconstruction and redevelopment. Back before we had AIMs to help do a lot of this, they had to have other ways of handling it.

Make sense?

Yeah. [ He's even got a small smile on his face as he replies. ] Turn the ground into lava to make it easier to move to and from, and-- could you use something like this to break down rubble or stuff like trees?

[ He's tapping the earthquake rune crafted by a lightning spell. ]

It's pretty cool anyway.

Breaking things, helping fix rivers, building lakes, or using lava as a means of redistributing fresh soil for agriculture and holding water to soil of drought-ridden locations to help with vegetation.

[She pauses for a moment, thinking back to when she'd first seen the basic elemtental runes used in reconstruction.]

First job I ever did with the Inkmetal Forge was fixing up a town after major flooding. The amount of earth displaced that we needed to move was hell, but runes like this made it a lot easier.

It's all machines where I'm from, but you always hear about everything breaking apart anyway. [ Even with them. He wonders how things would be different with runes like this, but all things considered, he doubts life is all that much better where Saeri is from. He doesn't have that optimism to believe.

Still: ] But I like it, magic like this. Doing fire or ice out of your hands is cool, [ sure, a small shrug, ] but magic that can help? Bending it into a tool?

[ Yeah, it's more than pretty cool. He glances about the room, but settles on Saeri. ]

You miss it?

[ He thinks he would, compare to here. ]

I miss working with everyone and knowing we're making a difference. [She misses everyone, too, but that's not what he asked.]

We used machines, too. AIMs. Huge piloted armors we use for construction and emergency response. But you know...powered by rune magic. Back in the day they used to use things like excavators and bulldozers but you have so much more control with an AIM.

Okay, yeah, armoured construction piloting? That's something out of a cartoon where I'm from. [ But it's said with a laugh, something surprised. ]

So when are you gonna make one of those to hire out? I dunno, even magical bulldozers might catch this place up a few hundred years. It could do with an emergency construction crew every time something goes crazy.

[ He's grinning, half-joking, but really, Robby wonders if she couldn't be doing bigger and better. She's got the ambition for it. ]

Didn't really have time to watch cartoons, but that's not surprising. A lot of stuff I'm used to people think are from books and other fictional media.

[She's not offended at all. She's found a bunch of things people told her pretty crazy, too.]

Unfortunately, to power a full sized AIM suit, I'd need a lot more power than what I can scrounge up right now. My stones and crystals aren't strong enough and if I used straight blood I'd have to like...bathe the thing in it.

[ Hey, it's probably very sci-fi. Unfortunately, Robby's never been big on the sci-fi angle for comparison. ]

Well, if you wanted to go in the business, I still think you'd have work for it. Someone was telling me about how this place got flooded before - you know about that? That's why some people started that Outpost building out in the woods.

It's apparently a place just for Sleepers if anything happens to the city.

[ Which he sure has his own feelings about, but you know. ]

[Oh boy, does she ever remember that month.]

The flooding was the Worst. Do you know how hard it is to make an oversized carriage stationary when there's enough water to carry it out to see? Had to finally trap the wheels in concrete and that was a bitch to chisel out.

[The WORST.]

I know about the Outpost I helped a bit with some barriers on it. A lot of people were involved though so I barely had to do anything.

[ That gets something close to a snort from Robby, though it's not all humour. There's a wrinkle to his forehead as he even tries to imagine it. Concreting the wheels? ]

Got any precautions if that happens again?

Yeah, I figured that out. Built a magical anchor and maybe carved some runes into a few safe spots around the big Machine. If something happens, I'm set.

[Not like she's taking the Carriage House into any of the other districts. Too much trouble.]

Now back to your lessons... [She says it with a playful snooty tone.] Any other questions about these runes? Does everything make sense so far?

[ He makes a sound between a cough and a snort. ] Sure- put two elements together, make an effect.

So- [ give him a moment... ] Put fire and water together, get steam? And if you want it scalding levels, go for something like this.

[ Tapping at the modified fire on the lava rune. ]

[IC] Inbox for deercountry

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